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Resources

During your fangame development journey, you'll encounter many challenges and questions. Fortunately, there are numerous resources available to help you improve your skills, learn new techniques, and find inspiration.

Glossary​

TermShort definition
ScopeThe boundaries of your project: what you have decided to build and what you have decided not to build.
MVP (Minimum Viable Product)The smallest playable version of your game that already provides an enjoyable experience.
Vertical SliceA small but representative portion of your game used to validate its core gameplay and direction before producing the rest of the content.
BacklogA list of ideas, features, and tasks that you may work on later.
IterationA new version of your project that adds improvements, fixes, or new content.
Technical DebtA technical compromise made today that will likely require additional work in the future.
Art DebtThe same concept applied to visual, audio, or narrative assets.
RefactoringImproving or reorganizing existing code or systems without changing how they behave for the player.

Useful Tools​

None of these tools are mandatory. Choose the ones that best fit the way you like to work.

Documentation​

  • Google Docs - Write your story, quests, or game design documents.
  • Obsidian - Organize your notes in Markdown with links between pages.
  • Notion - Centralize documentation, your project wiki, and task tracking.

Task Management​

  • GitHub Projects - A simple way to manage tasks for projects using Git.
  • ClickUp - Manage tasks, documentation, and project organization in one place.
  • Trello - Organize your work using a Kanban board.

Design & User Interface​

  • Figma - Design user interfaces and think through the player experience.
  • Excalidraw - Quickly sketch diagrams, ideas, and workflows.

Version Control​

  • Git - Keep a history of your project and collaborate with others.
  • GitHub - Host your project and track its evolution.
  • GitLab - A complete alternative that also includes issue tracking and version management.

Going Further​

Project Management​

Atlassian Agile Guide​

An excellent introduction to Agile practices with simple, accessible examples. https://www.atlassian.com/agile

Kanban Guide​

A practical introduction to visual task management using Kanban. https://kanbanguides.org/

Game Design​

The Door Problem - Liz England​

A classic article illustrating the wide variety of disciplines involved in game development. https://lizengland.com/blog/2014/04/the-door-problem/

Game Developer​

Articles covering game design, production, programming, and the game industry. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/

Extra Credits​

A YouTube channel covering game design, storytelling, and many aspects of game development. https://www.youtube.com/@ExtraCredits

Game Maker's Toolkit (GMTK)​

A YouTube channel analyzing game design decisions and explaining why they work. https://www.youtube.com/@GMTK

Productivity​

Getting Things Done - David Allen​

A personal productivity methodology that has inspired many modern organizational tools. Even if you don't adopt the entire system, many of its principles are useful for managing an amateur project.

The Lean Startup - Eric Ries​

An excellent book for understanding the value of prototypes, iterations, and validating ideas early.

Peopleware - Tom DeMarco & Timothy Lister​

A classic reference on the human side of collaborative projects. Especially useful if you're starting to build a team.

Pokémon Workshop Resources​

Be sure to regularly explore the resources provided by the community:

Asking questions, requesting feedback, or sharing a demo are all part of developing a fangame. The community is here to help you throughout your project.